Do I need to get a gym membership?

angella_jacobs93

My goal right now is really just to lose weight. I would like to tighten up my abs but am not to concerned with other strength training. I want to get lean. If you were me would you get a gym membership? and why?

FitGamerSmoak

No...I have one and used it for about a month. You can easily run outside, do youtube videos, workout with weights at home, etc. It's up to you. If you can motivate yourself at home, go for it and save your money. If not then get a gym membership. I recommend something cheap like planet fitness or retro fitness but that's my personal opinion. Good luck :-)

hamlet1222

Sometimes the fact that your paying the gym membership can motivate you to go. Also, having the company of others, and the safety aspect of people around if you collapse can be comforting. Look for one with lots of mat space for abs work if that's your goal. Although honestly you can do all that stuff at home and outdoors.

MarcyKirkton

I had a very inexpensive membership. Now i take classes at local center. Great price.

lisaloolovesblue

I wouldn't worry about a gym membership, as there are lots of exercises (both aerobic and anaerobic) that you can do from home!

However, don't shy away from the strength training! You can build muscle (which will help your metabolism) without it being bulky. I've heard a lot of recommendations that to build lean muscle, use less weight and do more repetitions. But you'd honestly have to do a lot of work to get bulky. Try it, you just might love it!

Josalinn

Depends. Craziedani is right in that you can run outside, but I personally hate running outside and would rather do the treadmill, although I hate that too. I like swimming and racquetball and lifting. So a gym membership works for me. If you do run outside, try going to a park with a playground. You can use the play equipment as an outdoor gym.

jessicarobinson00

I pay $10 at planet fitness. It's cheap so I keep it for when I want to do something other than body weight exercises. But yes: YOUTUBE! It's great and FREE!

SezxyStef

No..I've lost 60lbs and never stepped foot into a gym.

Mind you I have equipment at home and I chose to lift weights after doing resistance training with hand weights and videos at home.

Walking/running doesn't require a gym

Resistance training does not require a gym

HIIT does not require a gym...

mylittlerainbow

I got a gym membership because I was paying $300/mo for Pilates and had to pay more elsewhere if I took anything else (like Tai Chi). Got a membership for $155/mo that includes Pilates plus more all in that fee. It was worth it to me. I do like working out with other people in a class; the social component seems to help drag me over there. And I use the machines on one of the days when I don't have classes scheduled.

segacs

Everyone's different. There's no one way to answer that question.

Ask yourself:

• Is it financially feasible for you right now?
• Are you able to work out at home? Do you have space and equipment?
• Are you the type of person who is more motivated by going to a gym as opposed to just saying you'll work out at home?
• Is there a social aspect to it for you? Do you have a gym buddy or enjoy signing up for classes?
• Do you want to work out with a trainer? Many gyms offer personal training sessions.
• Would you be more likely to make excuses not to go to the gym, or would you see your membership as an investment that would motivate you to go more?
• Do you prefer to work out outdoors?

Also note that you can't spot-tighten area of the body. You say you want to tighten your abs but are "not too concerned" with the rest of your body. Well, it doesn't work like that. If you strength train while in a deficit, you'll be doing what you can to hang into more of your lean muscle and ensure that more of what you lose is fat, not muscle. This will make you look leaner and more toned overall once you've lost the weight. But only genetics and your body shape determine where the fat will come off from. Read the "so you want a nice stomach" thread.

cwolfman13

the only reason i have a gym membership is for the weight room. there are numerous forms of activity/exercise that don't require a gym. i'm actually always a little surprised by the people who get a gym membership only to drone away on some cardio machine...i mean i use them when the weather is really bad, but I'd much rather cycle or run outside.

nyponbell

I have a gym membership, for strength training with weights. I also use the elliptical and threadmill (and sometimes the stationary bike) for warm-ups. I get my cardio from walking to and from work (and at work) but once it gets colder (I live in Sweden, so it gets really cold sometimes) I might not be as active outside of running around after the kids at work, at which point I will probably start using the gym for my cardio as well.

I like the safety aspect of it as well; where I live there are plenty of places to walk, but now that it gets really dark (and quite early too) I don't feel safe walking in the woods by myself, which limits the amount of cardio I will get if I'm home from work or had a high calorie day that I need to work extra to offset. I also like that I can easier schedule time at the gym instead of "go for a walk before it gets dark" because I will forget - with the gym I have no excuse (and it's very close to where I live too).

So it all depends on what kind of exercise you want to do, when and where you want to do it and if you can afford the gym membership without it feeling like you have to sacrifice something.

Would you be able to try it out for a month or two without committing to long-term? If that's an option I think you should go for it and see how you like it.

Edited: But although I think having a membership is beneficial to me, you don't technically need one. If you have the option of doing a lot of exercises at home (from free videos) and get your cardio outside, then you don't really need one to lose weight.

Asher_Ethan

I have a gym membership because it's free with my job butttttttttt.... I haven't gone for weeks recently. I've been doing home workouts for the time being. You don't NEED a gym membership.

Please strength train though. You want to preserve the muscles you have while in a deficit.

jgnatca

I have a gym membership but frankly the best investment I made was my running shoes. I twigged my daughter on to a C25K app and now she's running with me.

I've been collecting home workout ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/janetkarasz/fitness-at-home/

Bshmerlie

NO...do not get one. If you are already doubting that you'll use it on regular basis you'll probably never use it. There are many workouts you can do from home with either just your body weight or simple hand weights. There are also a ton of videos out there. And then of course just walking is always good.

yangt41

I have a membership. $20 a month (initial enrollment was $50 and a yearly maintenance fee of $40ish) I get access to all the group fitness classes, pool and sauna. Great investment for me personally because I could never bring myself to work out on my own at home!

clrocks67

Buy some 5 lb weights. If you have a wall, a floor (and preferably a mat) and a chair, you can easily accomplish all of your strength training at home. Just try for 3x a week for the first few weeks, and increase to 4-5x a week.

Good luck!!

kat_princess12

As others have mentioned, that depends on you personally. I used to walk outside and do some Pilates at home. Eventually I injured myself from walking on concrete/uneven ground and had to start going to the gym. If it will truly motivate you to go, if there are classes or equipment you would like to use but wouldn't have access to otherwise, and if you can financially make it work, by all means go for it. By the way, if you decide you want to join a gym, check and see if your employer will help out with a membership - mine does as long as you go a certain number of times a month, which helps keep me motivated! You could also check and see if your health insurance offers an incentive or lower rate if you belong to a gym - not as common any more, but some plans still do.

xaryo

It is not a gym membership, but have you thought about martial arts class. It trains both cardio and muscles.
Moreover, you get to learn how to defend yourself in case of zombie attack and one day, you may become a black belt...

MoiAussi93

You don't need a gym membership unless you want one. I lost a lot of weight without a gym. You can run or walk outside, or even exercise in your home.

Want to work on your abs? You can do that on your living room floor ...ab exercises are ab exercises...doing them in a gym doesn't make them more effective.

That being said, some people just like going to a gym. If you do, go for it. There is certainly no harm. But you don't NEED to.

MoiAussi93

xaryo wrote: »

It is not a gym membership, but have you thought about martial arts class. It trains both cardio and muscles.
Moreover, you get to learn how to defend yourself in case of zombie attack and one day, you may become a black belt...

You don't need martial arts training to defend yourself against zombies. A katana will do just fine.

segacs

I think the point of this thread is that you should find some sort of exercise that you personally enjoy. What that is will be different for each person. But find something you love. If it's a chore, you won't do it.

strong_curves

I don't have a gym membership, I work out at home. Treadmill, weights, etc in my basement. When I had a gym membership I used to lie to myself about going after work to work out and I never did. Once I hooked my basement up (and still updating it) I now get up early every day to work out.

rhtexasgal

I think everyone here has every aspect covered I'll just throw in my own two cents worth though ... I have a membership to a local, non-chain gym because when I pay for something, I have to get my money's worth. That is just my mentality. I think of probable wasted money when I hear that 5 am alarm telling to wake up and head to the gym and go ahead and get out of bed and get dressed! I also paid for some personal training sessions with the owner for the same reason. I have to get my money's worth! Besides, it is good to be in an environment where others have similar goals. Everyone is there to get healthier/lose weight/build muscle, etc. It helps when there are other aspect of life that don't have the same goal.

Thowe92

The world is your gym and playground.

shadowfax_c11

I agree on the martial arts classes. Not so much for the defense against zombies as the great cardio workout plus the added benefits of becoming much more able to deal with day to day life situations. Verbal confrontations with grumpy people just don't phase you as much when you are used to calmly dealing with someone who is actually trying to hit you with a bokken. (Japanese wooden sword) Plus it's just really fun so the motivation to get to the dojo at the end of a long day at work is a bit higher.

ohmyllama

I'm very happy with my gym membership, so I would recommend it, but you don't NEED it. It's very convenient to have all the machines (and high tech machines at that) in one place with a friendly atmosphere. Personally, can't get motivated to go out and exercise at home, but having a gym membership is motivating enough for me to go a couple times a day. I've met so many friendly and encouraging people at the gym. I like to have the elliptical, spinning, and jacob's ladder as well as all the weight machines available. I have an elliptical at home, but the ones at the gym are so much nicer, so I don't even use that anymore.

hamlet1222

ohmyllama wrote: »

I'm very happy with my gym membership, so I would recommend it, but you don't NEED it. It's very convenient to have all the machines (and high tech machines at that) in one place with a friendly atmosphere. Personally, can't get motivated to go out and exercise at home, but having a gym membership is motivating enough for me to go a couple times a day. I've met so many friendly and encouraging people at the gym. I like to have the elliptical, spinning, and jacob's ladder as well as all the weight machines available. I have an elliptical at home, but the ones at the gym are so much nicer, so I don't even use that anymore.

great points, decent cardio machines are very expensive. I see a lot of people snort at gym memberships and say "just run outside in the fresh air", but really gyms can be nice, some people enjoy being plugged in with their headphones enjoying their favourite tv show (on tablet is an increasing trend I see now) while the calories get burnt off. Especially coming into the winter and dark evenings now. You can also chat to people and it's safer. My favourite author Douglass Adams died at age 48 on a treadmill in his home, heart attack, and no one there to help him.

kshama2001

mylittlerainbow wrote: »

I got a gym membership because I was paying $300/mo for Pilates and had to pay more elsewhere if I took anything else (like Tai Chi). Got a membership for $155/mo that includes Pilates plus more all in that fee. It was worth it to me. I do like working out with other people in a class; the social component seems to help drag me over there. And I use the machines on one of the days when I don't have classes scheduled.

Wow, are you in the US? I've never heard of non-family memberships this high and have belonged to gyms in Massachusetts, Florida, and New York. However, never in urban areas like NYC or Boston.

Liftng4Lis

I have my gym membership, for the sole purpose of the weight room.

MoiAussi93

kshama2001 wrote: »

mylittlerainbow wrote: »

I got a gym membership because I was paying $300/mo for Pilates and had to pay more elsewhere if I took anything else (like Tai Chi). Got a membership for $155/mo that includes Pilates plus more all in that fee. It was worth it to me. I do like working out with other people in a class; the social component seems to help drag me over there. And I use the machines on one of the days when I don't have classes scheduled.

Wow, are you in the US? I've never heard of non-family memberships this high and have belonged to gyms in Massachusetts, Florida, and New York. However, never in urban areas like NYC or Boston.

A nice gym can be that expensive in NYC. I haven't belonged to a gym for about 5 years, but when I did I was paying $110 (this gym was definitely nicer than the average, but it wasn't super high end...there were more expensive gyms in the city even then.) Even the average gym near me was $80 at that time. So five years later, I'm sure there are several north of $150.